Books
11 Sci-Fi Books By Women To Read While You Wait For 'A Wrinkle In Time'
The Ava DuVernay-directed A Wrinkle in Time film is hitting theaters on March 9, but you've probably been excited about it for months now. Not only is the film based on a beloved childhood sci-fi classic, it promises to be the visually stunning, wonderfully diverse reimagining you never knew you wanted. But if you've already re-read the Madeleine L'Engle book in preparation for the film, what's next? Why not check out some other popular sci-fi and time travel books? These YA and adult sci-fi reads are perfect for grown-up fans of Meg Murry's story, who are hoping to continue their A Wrinkle in Time obsession beyond the screen.
All of the 11 books below are written by women, and explore the worlds of space and/or time travel in ways that fans of A Wrinkle in Time are sure to love. Check them out before you buy your tickets for the new film, and keep a stack to dive into when you've already seen the movie twice and are in need of some new sci-fi feels. You won't go wrong with any of these, from space operas with diverse casts of characters to YA time travel fantasy that combines the history and magic.
'The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet' by Becky Chambers
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew. Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy — exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan.
'Illuminae' by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started.
'Empress of a Thousand Skies' by Rhoda Belleza
The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder. They're forced to go into hiding — even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee's name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot.
'A Darker Shade Of Magic' by V.E. Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antari — magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. Perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell will first need to stay alive.
'Unearthed' by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's technology has the potential to undo environmental damage, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered. For Jules Addison, this discovery offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them at odds, but the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race.
'Binti' by Nnedi Okorafor
Binti is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.
'Ancillary Justice' by Ann Leckie
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren — a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.
'Want' by Cindi Pon
Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things. With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.
'Starflight' by Melissa Landers
Solara Brooks is so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith. When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must work together. And what they discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter the existence of everyone in the universe.
'The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August' by Claire North
No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes. Until now. As Harry nears the end of his 11th life, a little girl appears at his bedside. This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.
'Kindred' by Octavia E. Butler
Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.
